Turnabout Transformation
by Misayaka
Summary: Sailor Mercury underestimated the wrong youma, and winds up in a truly foreign land as penance. Unfortunately, her country of origin wasn't all that was taken away from her...
1. Prologue

[August 16 - Juuban Park]

"It's over now, creep!"

Sailor Mercury had the youma cornered. The other Senshi were still a good five minutes away, and she had been ordered to wait... but, it was made of fire. What did she have to fear? Her bubbles had kept it disoriented and confused. With one pending blast of ice, she'd have it finished off for good. For once, Mercury wouldn't have need to trouble anyone!

The youma was indeed in a bind. It couldn't burn what it couldn't see, and that bubbly mist was a pain. Still... there was one thing it could try... since the Senshi was so sure that she could defeat it, the youma had a feeling that would prove easy to exploit.

It gave a pained roar, one that it felt would have warranted an acting award of some kind... if sub-dimensional monsters were ever awarded such things. (Sadly they seldom were.)

"Repent and douse yourself in water!" As it hoped, Mercury's confidence was kindled even further. She approached closer, and concentrated as she drew her gloved arms close. She could the monster clear as day thanks to her visor. It was time for her to finish it while she had the chance!

"Shine, Aqua-"

As the monster saw the formation of ice that was sure to be its doom, it took action. "Inferno Spiral." It still couldn't see her, but with the wide reach of its close range attack, it had no need to.

"..Illu-..." Her visor picked up on the spike in energy far too late. Ami had no time to even finish speaking her attack, much less release it. She was left with a panicked cry drowning out the rest as pillars of flame shot up from all around the youma, tendrils of fire swiftly engulfed her from head to toe.

As Mercury's eyes forced themselves shut, she felt the flames licking at her skin and tried to hope for a painless end. There was no escaping a massive attack with that wide a radius!

She was half right. She didn't feel any pain. None at all... that was strange... then when the flames died down, and Mercury blinked her eyes open, she only briefly wondered why she was still alive.

Moments later part of her wished she wasn't. From her toes to her ears, each and every inch of fabric Mercury had worn was burnt to ash. Her tiara was intact. The rest was gone.

Ami Mizuno was left utterly defenseless, and it was a horrified moment of beholding her own complete nudity before she thought to conceal it with her shaking arms.

"H, how dare you...!" Trying to cling to her pride, as the bubbles vanished, she stared at the youma with a defiant gaze. "T, they'll be here soon, and stop you, you know...!" Despite her intense blush, Ami took hold of that fact, and managed to keep herself from feeling completely hopeless. "...you w, won't get away with this, no way can you fight them all!"

As if realizing the truth of the fair-skinned, deliciously bashful girl's words, the youma gave a 'tsk' sound, then shook its head before extending a hand to the cowering girl. "Maybe not... but you won't be safe either! You'll wish I'd burnt the rest of you after this...! No one but strangers will find you now!"

"W, wait, what do you mean by-...NOO!" Ami shrieked and rose her arms to instinctively cover her face, the feeling of her breasts left exposed soon making her regret the action, but even that humiliating feeling was soon beyond her notice. A bright light had appeared beneath her, and with a cry of panic, Ami vanished into it.

By the time the Senshi arrived, all they found were faint traces of energy... and oddly enough, a few scraps of a vaguely familiar, burnt blue Senshi uniform.

[August 17 - Early Morning - ?]

Ami awoke suddenly, sitting upright on a cold, stone staircase.

Her first panicked realization was that she was still very naked.

The second was that a girl maybe one or two years her junior was looking down at her.

If it wasn't for her hairstyle, Ami might have thought the robed girl was Rei.

However, she'd never seen her before.

Maya Fey blinked repeatedly at the sight of the cowering girl before her. First she noticed the pretty tiara.

Then the curves of her breasts, and a whole lot else. It was around then Maya realized the pervert was naked, and screamed.

[To be continued...]


	2. Chapter 1

[August 17, 10:45AM - Detention Center]

"And no one has any idea where this girl came from?" Phoenix seemed skeptical at best about the dossier he'd been handed. He was not at all sure how to take the desperate pleas of a client who barely spoke English, not to mention totally lacking any sort of identification... or attire.

"Well, I don't buy it! I'm telling the truth, Nick! Naked women don't just appear out of thin air! She's just a deviant, and I can't believe you want to _defend_ her!"

"Innocent until proven guilty, Maya. You know the law."

The shorter of the two bit at the inside of her lip and looked aside with a pout that the blue-suited lawyer knew all too well. Maya would gripe and mutter her complaints, but in the end, she'd make the right choice. At least, Phoenix hoped so. He supposed there was the very likely possibility the shrine maiden was simply jealous.

It wasn't every day the state presented him with a client accused of exhibitionism, and he had to be honest, the girl wasn't particularly rough on the eyes either.

No one at the detective's office had been fluent in Japanese. It had taken one of the more intuitive deputies to think to consult an online translation guide; enough to make out the flustered girl's frantic words as a vague attempt at conveying her innocence.

So, that meant they couldn't press charges without giving her fair representation. No one was willing to take on such an open-and-shut case, so it went to pro bono circles.

Which meant the case was left sitting right in Phoenix's lap.

Still, before he accepted, he'd meet with her first. He always trusted in his clients... but he had to see them in person first.

[August 17, 10:50AM - Detention Center, Room 3]

"W, what?"  
"That's correct, Mr. Wright. The accused is, well, still naked. You'll have to speak to her through the glass. We've specifically modified the viewing area so that no one can, well, ogle the girl."  
"You must be joking! That has to be against all kinds of rights violations!"  
"We had to take her with minimal fuss before the media took notice. You can surely imagine the furor that would be stirred if word got out that naked women were parading around in the streets."  
"It was just one person..."  
"And the state means to keep it that way. Be that as it may... she was hurried into isolated custody, and we don't have much in the way of women's clothing here. The blanket will keep her warm until the detective returns."  
"...and no one's spoken with her apart from her claims during her arrest?"  
"That's correct."  
"Fine... let me in."

Phoenix rubbed at his temple while he took a seat apart from the darkened glass, setting the dossier down in the empty chair beside him. He'd taken on some weird cases in his day... but none like this. Exhibitionism was a minor crime, and usually not the sort of case he took. However, due to all the additional charges the woman was being accused of, she stood to face serious jail time if convicted.

"No passport, lack of identification, lewd conduct, illegal immigration, exposure to a minor..." This was ridiculous. Did someone at the office have a grudge against the poor girl? For all anyone knew, she was a minor too! Sadly, no one could be sure of that, since she lacked identification... least of all Phoenix.

Then the light came on, and Phoenix looked up to see the distraught face of a blue-haired, near-topless girl staring at him. Were it not for the blanket loosely wrapped around her shoulders, one would rightly assume she had little to nothing on beside it.

"H, hello." Phoenix tried to best to maintain his composure, but even as he caught his breath, he couldn't help but realize he was feeling a little on the flustered side. He quickly distracted himself with a page from the dossier, then nonchalantly cleared his throat. "You must be... Mercury, I believe they said?"

The girl, clearly blushing in the dim light, gave a swift series of nods. Then as if things couldn't get any more confusing, Phoenix felt his skin go cold. His field of perception seemed to darken, then right before his mind's eye, he saw a series of interwoven metal chains criss-crossing over the front of the girl... fastened by three solid crimson locks.

She was lying.

"Perfect..." Phoenix sat up, adjusted his tie, and proceeded to try and inform the girl in as simple terms as possible that he would be defending her.

As to how, he had absolutely no idea.


	3. Chapter 2

Ami's morning had been horrible.

After the girl had screamed loud enough to wake the dead, police had arrived in mere seconds. Unheard of in Juuban, to say the least.

No one would listen to her. Judging by the snippets of English that Ami made out as she was taken into custody, no one _understood_ her. Literally.

At least they'd had the decency to give her a blanket, but the beige wool fabric somehow didn't feel too helpful when the only other detail she had was a tiara.

The handsome professional talking at her through the window seemed very nice, as if he genuinely wanted to help her. Sadly, the only word Ami comprehended was 'Mercury', to which she nodded. Maybe they recognized her? Or maybe they actually understood her attempts to explain who she was?

Either way, it was nice to have someone who seemed to be on her side.

She tried to stay calm where she sat in the chair, adjusting her lone 'garment' to cover each and every detail of her body it could. Which was enough, for now.

The man said something else, as if asking her a question. Ami blinked, looked around the room, then replied that she didn't understand... and shook her head.

With a frown, the professional got up and started to leave. Had she said something wrong!? She had to do something, otherwise no one would help her!

Acting on sheer impulse, she got to her feet, ran to the door, and pulled on the handle.

To her shock, it opened.

Ami had chalked it up to carelessness, but in actuality, the local police had simply assumed that no woman wearing nothing but a blanket would have the nerve to try and escape out into the city.

Sadly, they would have been wrong.

She ran down the hall, her feet brushing against the cool steel until she caught up with the man, her body shaking as she grabbed his hand.

"Please, help!"

The taller professional looked at her, and despite his blushing face, Ami gathered that he understood. Maybe it was her tone, maybe it was the gesture, but somehow her meaning had gotten through.

Then the man looked down, and uttered something in a shaky tone.

Ami's gaze followed his, and saw her bare midriff and just about everything else on display to the man's gaze, beneath the fluttering confines of the open blanket.

It was the worst time imaginable to black out, and yet, that was exactly what Ami Mizuno did.


	4. Chapter 3

[August 17, 2PM - Wright Anything Agency]

"So let me get this straight..."

The detective in the heavy overcoat rubbed at his eyes, looking like he was in serious need of a very strong drink. He was still waiting at the door, and the blue-suited lawyer was making one immobile obstacle for once.

"...not only are you keeping a suspected deviant out of police custody, you're _defending_ her?"

"You can't hold her until there's been a formal trial unless she's suspected of a felony, which I'm pretty sure... socially frowned upon or not... streaking isn't classified as."

"You're pushing your luck, kid."

"We'll see about that. If you'll excuse me... officer."

Phoenix sighed once he was absolutely sure the door was shut. He hated that man.

Maya hadn't returned yet, thankfully. Who knew how he'd explain their new guest to her. He didn't want to think about it.

The foreign girl was still sitting on the sofa, trying to keep from shaking. The warm tea seemed to help. The fact that she still had little in the way of actual clothing wasn't lost on her or her host.

"Look, uh... I wish I had more for you to wear, Miss..."

"A-...Ami."

Crash. A lock had been shattered to pieces, just from that little word.

Maybe he was getting somewhere after all. Hadn't even required evidence,not that he had any to use.

"...Ami, but...uh, I'm sure Miss Fey can accommodate you better. I asked her to bring along some things, so you shouldn't need to... be that way much longer..." Phoenix coughed, adjusting his tie as he tried to look anywhere but at the girl's exposed knees. Talk about distracting thoughts.

"Heh, maybe she'll understand you too." Where did he keep that English-to-Japanese dictionary, anyway? Was it thoughtless to assume Maya spoke oriental languages? Hopefully not, but he didn't know anyone else who might fit the bill.

Phoenix had to start figuring the girl out somehow. How could he defend a client without any background, much less evidence? She was a blank slate according to the database. No fingerprint results, local history, zilch... the girl was like a phantom.

"Someone has to know someth-..."

The buzz at the door interjected Phoenix's spoken thoughts, and he went to the door, opening it as soon as he recognized the pattern.

"Heyas Nick, sorry I'm late, took me a while to find-"

The robed girl went silent, and after pushing right past Phoenix, she felt her grip slacken and the bag of clothes hit the ground while she stared at the familiar, pale expression of the near-naked girl sitting on the sofa.

"Look, I can expla-"  
"NonononoNO!"  
"IIE!"

Phoenix felt a mixture of guilt and sudden embarrassment come over him, and he thankfully thought to shield his eyes as the clothed woman yanked the other to her feet, obviously intent on throwing her out.

This wasn't going to be easy to patch up.


	5. Chapter 4

"N, NO! Let go...!"

Ami's panicked reply seemed to fall on deaf, or at least ignorant, ears. The maiden-esque girl in the robes was acting decidedly un-maiden like as she pulled the barely-clothed Ami to her feet and began practically dragging her to the office's door.

She hadn't even gotten to finish her tea.

The girl yelled something angrily at the man who actually had tried to help her. Ami had hoped for him to intervene on her behalf, but to her disappointment, he had only looked away blushing. That was no time for him to be shy! Worse, she had no way of ensuring the blanket covered up much of anything as the girl tugged her from the sofa. She felt the loose fabric fluttering all over the place, making her otherwise naked state plain as day to anyone who cared to look.

"Please stop, I-... I'm not doing this on purpose...! I can explain if you'll only let m-"

Then the girl reached out to open the office door, and Ami's eyes went wide as the 'maiden' spun her around by the wrists and set Ami stumbling outside. She only managed a startled cry before she landed roughly on her rear end, the blanket finally settling down around her to somewhat conceal her nudity.

The upright female dusted her hands, uttered some foreign phrase that Ami could only assume was very dismissive if not derogatory, then turned around and slammed the door.

Ami took a deep breath, and tried to compose herself as she stood up, pulling the blanket around her with one arm while touching her still-present tiara with the other. At least its presence was a soothing constant.

She had no place at that office, anyway. Ami tried to steel her nerves with a deep breath, then as she turned around to seek out some safer refuge... and maybe a way home... she felt her face go pale as the black car pulled up in front of her at curb side.

The window rolled down, and her face went from colorless to red as the handsome man in the dark suit and shades smiled at her.

"Fraulein Mizuno, yes?"

Incidentally, Ami DID know some German.


	6. Chapter 5

[August 17, 2:20 PM - Wright Anything Agency]

"You didn't have to put her outside..."  
"You didn't have to let a **naked girl** sit inside the office! Did it even cross your mind that she's not even an adult?!"

That made Phoenix's complexion turn quite pale. The implications of that were pretty clear, even though he hadn't been certain of that... though he'd had suspicions.

"W, well... isn't that all the more reason to help?" Phoenix smiled in his best attempt at lightening the mood, but only wound up feeling quite goofy as he rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Y, you scheming PERVERT!" Maya suddenly approached, rolling up her sleeves, and Phoenix knew he had said entirely the wrong thing. He backed away, both hands held up in a placating gesture.

"Come on, Maya, you know that's not what I meant! Now hold on, that's not necessary! Maya, please put down the coat rac-"

The relative quiet of the Agency office was then pierced by the ongoing sounds of a wooden instrument being used to beat someone over the head, accompanied by the occasional useless scream.

-

[August 17, 2:22PM - ?]

As awkward as being in the back of a limo wearing next to nothing was... Ami had to admit the cool leather seating was rather comfortable. She just tried not to think about feeling of her near naked bottom resting against it.

The man across from her was flamboyant to say the least. Platinum blonde hair worn in a style she'd never even imagined as realistic, much less having been exposed to.

At least he was being nice, especially compared to the others she'd met so far.

Then the man repeated the question, and Ami found herself drawn out of her wandering mental state. The handsome man was offering her a half-filled glass of thick red liquid that she could only assume was very pricey... and alcoholic.

"N, no... thank you." Ami felt all the more defensive in response. She sat back against the rear of the vehicle in as modest a posture that she could manage, trying to ensure she was as concealed as could be within the blanket's confines. It wasn't much. Anyone with some imagination could figure the fair-skinned woman was not wearing much of anything else, but at least she wouldn't be flashing herself just by moving her body.

The gentlemanly figure seemed disappointed at first, but he eventually smiled as if in understanding, then withdrew the glass in a calm manner. Ami couldn't quite grasp his response, but judging from his tone, it was something approximating 'that's a shame'.

Then just as Ami was beginning to fret about the poor likelihood of mutual conversation, the man leaned forward and, to her complete shock, spoke in practiced Japanese.

"Well, my dear, back to business. How would you feel about a settlement?"

Ami's confusion must have been written plain on her face, so as the vehicle came to a stop, the man continued, still smiling. It took considerable restraint for Ami to try and ignore how handsome he was.

"In other words, fraulein, you would admit your guilt, this is all put behind us, and you receive a far, far lesser punishment than you would otherwise. Fair deal, no?"

Ami then started to grasp the nature of the conversation. Before she could respond, the man just smiled and waved his hand in a vague direction towards the door.

"Please, think it over." Then the car door opened, and her relaxed state gave way to sheer panic as she found herself taken out of the vehicle's safety and left on a foreign sidewalk as the vehicle sped off.


	7. Chapter 6

[August 17, 2:27 PM - Random Street Corner]

"Wait! I, I have an ans-"

Before Ami could finish voicing her notion of accepting or declining the man's offer, the vehicle accelerated and sped out of sight.

It seemed waiting for her input had never been on the table.

The tiara(and little else)-clad girl sighed and slowly got to her feet, lightly brushing off her legs with one hand as the other tried to pull the blanket around her.

Then a sharp gasp drew her attention. Ami, blinking, looked over her shoulder, and as a blush swept over her face, she realized a passing woman was staring at her in horror.

Specifically, her exposed rear.

"AHH!" Ami shrieked and turned around to conceal her nudity, frantic to pull the blanket around herself. "I, I can explain...!"

To the woman watching, the deviant attempting to explain herself in Japanese may as well have been a mute. She yelled something in a foreign tongue that didn't sound very complimentary at all. Ami went wide-eyed, and turned to sprint away before her predicament worsened any... and instead backed right into the broad-shouldered frame of a well-dressed man.

As Ami landed unceremoniously on her rear end once again, she tried to blink the stars out of her eyes as she stared upward to the genial face of her supposed attorney, who was offering her a welcome hand.

Despite lacking any real knowledge of what was being said, it was no offer she was about to refuse.

Her hand shakily accepted the warm grip, and Ami slowly got to her feet.

"T, thank you..."

The man gave an awkward smile and looked elsewhere while rubbing at the back of his neck. At least some people had manners. She was not able to make out much... but there was the sound of a name. 'Klavia?'

It sounded disdainful. Was he referring to the slick-talking man in the vehicle?  
Ami was sure glad to be away from him. She got quiet as she followed silently in the man's footsteps, once again clutching the blanket around her body to conceal whatever she could. It was enough to keep her nudity from being apparent, but a barefoot girl in a tiara with her legs freely viewable well past the knee still drew more than a few stray glances.

The walk had been awkward at best, but at least her modesty hadn't been compromised further, and the attorney had done a respectable job of helping to conceal her however he could. He did have a pretty broad frame. Were all attorneys that... built?

Ami realized she was staring, and worse, blushing. She shook her head, and quickly pulled the blanket tighter around her lower body. She could not afford distractions of that sort, not in the slightest.

"A, ah... how much... further is it?"  
As if realizing he'd been addressed, the man turned and smiled at her, and she could only hope no one would Ami's renewed blush against her.

It sounded reassuring. So it couldn't be much further.

Sure enough, after a mere two minutes of passing through the sparsely occupied sidewalk, they arrived at the small stairs leading up to the office she had been unceremoniously tossed out of less than half-an-hour before.

"Thank you..." Ami smiled up at the man in genuine appreciation, and was met with another one of those awkward grins in response.

Had Ami known what was waiting for her upon entering the building, she might have kept her guard up.

Upon entering, she could only stare and blink at the younger man in the red vest who looked over to her as if she were an alien. He had been about to get up from the leather sofa, though judging from his blush, he wasn't accustomed to seeing girls as lightly dressed as her.

And judging from Ami's swiftly reddened face, she certainly wasn't prepared for yet another handsome face.


	8. Chapter 7

[August 17, 2:39 PM - Wright Anything Agency]

Apollo Justice had been ready for any number of things.

Over the years, he'd seen all number of things.

He was pretty sure this had been the first time he'd been given a, literally, near-naked female client. Little wonder his face was as red as his blazer.

"M-Mr. Wright... you want me to-...to defend... her?"

Apollo tried his absolute best to keep his jaw from going slack, and only half succeeded.

In response, the elder attorney grinned as if they had youthful blanket-clad clients all the time.

"Well, I figure this is a good test for you. You can study up on the case and prepare our counter arguments while we investigate."

"Oh, I see. I guess that makes some sen-..." Then the last word registered, and then Apollo's jaw was left hanging open. "...investigate!?"

"That's right, we can't mount a defense without any evidence! So myself and miss..." Two pairs of eyes went to the bashful girl, who after mustering up a great deal of will power meekly uttered a reply, before Phoenix continued. "...Mizuno, are going to examine the area she arrived at."

"Mr. Wright... uh, sir... this isn't a murder case... she's accused of exhibitionism and indecency! I don't think you're going to find much evidence or even witness testimony!"

"Only one way to find out... and I'm pretty sure someone will remember having seen a face like hers, don't you?"

Again both sets of eyes went to the girl, and again she blushed responsively.

"I, I guess it's a start..."  
"Glad you agree. I don't think we'll be long, so after she leads us to the scene, we'll be back in a fla-"  
"AAAAAH!"

The sudden feminine shriek drew both Apollo and Phoenix's eyes, and they stared in open shock for all of three seconds before both men swiftly looked away from the girl who had been swiftly deprived of her blanket.

"I am NOT letting you drag this shameless girl around town looking like that, Nick! Come on!"  
"I, iiiiya!"

While each of the attorneys tried to get a sight out of mind that would probably be remembered for years to come, they tried to ignore the sounds of Ami's protests from the adjacent dressing room.

At least it had to be better than a blanket... right?

Little did Phoenix know that prior to what she was about to be dressed up in, their client had gotten off light.99


	9. Chapter 8

[August 17, 2:44 PM - Wright Anything Agency Storage Closet]

By that point, Ami could only imagine that for whatever reason, the shrine maiden with a grudge against her did not want her employer knowing that she spoke Japanese. Poorly, but it was more than enough to get her point across.

"I, I promise you that... that none of this is my fault..."  
"Silly girl, I not caring one bit."

Ami looked from the robed female to the door behind her, meekly covering herself. She wanted to turn and run, but without any sort of cover? It seemed like she was better off just playing along and hoping the maiden could be reasoned with.

"Once... once this is all over with, I'm going straight home, so you don't need to-"

Ami went silent in mid-sentence, staring blankly as Maya approached her with what looked like an entangled batch of pink ribbon string.

"...what is that fo-...AAH!"

Ami gasped as the woman grabbed her by the wrists, held her arms up, and began winding the ribbon around her breasts with practiced binding. "What are you doing!?"

"Give something to wear, you shameless girl, now shush!"  
Ami was stunned to silence. By the time Maya was done, she had snapped off the ribbon in two places. A series of ribbons bound her breasts back, but barely concealed anything else. Her shoulders, arms, midriff, and especially the outline of her curvature, little was left to the imagination.

Her lower body had fared no better. The ribbons were snugly wound around her pelvic area and buttocks like a second skin, giving the appearance of a form-fitting thinly-constructed set of bikini bottoms.

And then, brushing her hands with a satisfied grin, Maya tossed away the rest of the ribbon.

"There, you look right now."

"I, I can not go out in-..."

Without waiting for any more protests, Maya turned Ami around and shoved her back out into the main room.

Judging from the bashful outcry and masculine gasps that followed, the outfit was a success.

"She's alll yours, Nick." Maya winked, and watched the two go outside before following with a smile.

By her estimation, the compromised ribbon would last just long enough to teach that shameless foreigner a lesson she'd never forget.


	10. Chapter 9

[August 17, 2:53 PM - Downtown]

The last place Ami Mizuno wanted to be was under more public scrutiny. Sadly, that was exactly the situation she had been thrust into. Couldn't the robed girl at least have given her some footwear?

Still, she wanted answers just as much as the man helping her did. So after piecing together his request, Ami had reluctantly lead her 'help' to very spot she had appeared in.

Except it had been late in the evening then, and there had been next to no one around.

In the early afternoon, there were several if not dozens of random pedestrians... most if not all of whom could not take their eyes off the barely-dressed girl wearing just a pair of ribbons.

As if she hadn't felt self-conscious enough. The suited man could not have been more oblivious. While Ami was trying in vain to maintain some decency, he was calmly examining the 'crime scene' and asking anyone who would listen for testimony. What did he expect to learn!? Ami could only wonder. At the moment, however, she was more concerned with hiding the fact that the ribbons were all she had on.

She felt the outline of the material straining to conceal her breasts, not to mention the telltale impression of her nipples... and it felt like the ribbons around her lower body were constantly slipping out of place, each inch making her lack of clothing all the more obvious. Ami almost gasped as she had to pull a particularly uncomfortable length of ribbon out of the cusp of her backside, smoothing it out to better conceal the rest of it.

"U, um... can we... hurry?" Ami had whispered pleadingly, reaching behind her neck every so often to ensure the knotting stayed tied up. Little wonder she was so protective of it, considering that if it came loose... someone could and very likely _would_ see everything.

The man seemed disappointed as he returned to Ami, and seemed to ask something. As best as Ami could figure, he wanted to know where she appeared from... so she pointed it out.

Ami almost forgot about her awkward predicament as she watched the man examine the stone steps she had appeared upon. She could only wonder what he hoped to accomplish. She had been about to ask him to give up so they could leave, when the man's excited outcry made Ami jump back a half step, startled.

To her immense surprise, he held up what looked like a colorful patch of fur. She recognized the color well. It belonged to the youma.

Would he figure that out, though? Would it help her get back... or at very least, be proven innocent of these ridiculous charges?

If nothing else, it was a step in the right direction, it seemed. The man was finally leaving! Ami could have hugged him in relief, but thought better of it. As he moved to go, Ami went to hurry after him... and was left frozen in place.

By the time she realized the sudden sensation of a cool breeze passing over her skin, the undone ribbons were already gently settling around her ankles.


	11. Chapter 10

[August 17, 2:59 PM - Downtown]

"AAAAAH!"

One thing about a girl's scream, it transcended language barriers. Little wonder Phoenix was quick to react, and turned back to see what all the fuss was.

Imagine his surprise to see the girl, once again naked, meekly covering what little her arms could, with a pair of ribbons settled around her bare ankles.

"Of all the times..." Trying to hide his intense embarrassment, Phoenix took action. In one swift motion he had reached Ami, taken off his suit jacket, and thrown it around the girl, covering as much of her as he could. Which, thanks to its broad design, was most everything of importance.

"Can't keep you out of trouble for a moment..." With that muttered under his breath, he took the blushing girl by the hand and hurried away before someone notified the authorities... assuming they hadn't already.

[August 17, 3:30 PM - Wright Anything Agency]

"I've never seen anything like this..."

The coated woman's gaze practically sparkled as she looked over the clump of fur. Ema Skye adjusted her glasses and slid the pink-tinged lenses down for a closer look. "I'm gonna need a few hours, Mr. Wright... possibly a whole day!"

"We need it back by the morning, Ema."

The trip back had occurred without incident, apart from Ami shivering every so often, as if trying to drown out the memory of what had just happened. It was unlikely that would happen anytime soon, but at least she'd been quiet. She was still sitting on the sofa, keeping the suit jacket close around her as if her life depended on it.

"What?! Well-... I guess I can borrow the forensics lab and pull an all-nighter, but you owe me!"

The detective/investigative specialist gave the cowering girl a brief look, then tilted her head back at Phoenix. "...are you cradle robbing again?"

"I, I already said it's not like that! She's a client!"

"Uh-huh... suuure. Well, she is a cutie!" Ema looked over to the girl and winked in a way that turned Ami's face as pink as her shades. "I'm sure I could hook her up with someone real ea-"

"Thanks, Ema, call me as soon as you have something!"

"Hey, I was just being nice to the gi-!"

With that failed attempted at protest, Ema was nonchalantly urged out of the office, her complaints muffled behind the closed door.

Phoenix sighed, brushed a hand across his forehead, and steadied himself for a long night.

If Ema didn't deliver, tomorrow's trial was going to prove impossible to win... it might have been, regardless.

[August 17, 9:30 PM - Wright Anything Agency]

Without much else in the way of leads, most of the staff had long since retired for the night. Ami, however, had been given free reign of the office for the night, so she had opted to sleep in the living room. The blanket and borrowed jacket weren't much in the way of sleepwear, but they were warm.

The girl had been intent on turning in early, and had just been about to drift off when a loud knock from the door stirred Ami from the attempt at sleep. Ami tried to ignore it, but then another sound followed, more stubborn than the last.

She looked around, realizing that no one but her could or would answer it, then she went to the door and looked through. It was the bespectacled girl from before, frantically waving a sealed envelope. "Mr. Wright, I have the results! Come on, open up!"

Ami looked behind her, and tucked the blanket closer around her shoulders. No one was going to respond but her, it seemed, so Ami took a deep breath and opened the door to answer the girl's request.

Had she known how the enthusiastic investigator was going to react, Ami might not have been so eager.


	12. Chapter 11

[August 17, 9:30 PM - Wright Anything Agency]

"Uh... is Mr. Wright here?"

The barely-clothed girl shook her head, and the labcoated woman sighed. It was nice not to be the shortest person in the room for once, but then, she had the distinct advantage of having footwear on... and a great deal more than the blanketed female.

"I guess you'll have to do, then! I wanted to bring him over to the crime lab, but I'd have a hard time dragging a half-naked girl through the office, I figure. This should help, best hang onto it." Ema grinned and produced a folder of assorted papers before thrusting them out to the girl. "Sheesh, just take it already. Not like I'm proposing." The joke must have fallen flat, or at least on deaf ears, since she just got a clueless look in response.

"Guess I'll make myself at home, then." Ema strode past the girl whose eyes followed her movements, then sat right down on the sofa, stretching out before giving her a sidelong glance. "They make you sleep on the sofa? Sheesh, I'd treat a guest better than that... I'd love to talk about what I found, but I guess you wouldn't understand much one way or another..." Ema sighed, pushed to her feet, and adjusted her lenses as she gave Ami another look that made the less clothed of the two feel as if she were being visually undressed.

Not that it would've taken much.

"Ano..."

Ami attempted to ask something, but Ema just gave a 'tsk tsk' sound and the blue-haired girl found herself quieted by a gloved finger touched to her lips.

"Just give that to Mr. Wright, okay? He'll know what to do." With that, the coated investigator began to head out, and paused just shy of passing Ami, giving her another sideways look before caressing a thumb over her cheek. "He really hasn't a clue what to do with a cutie like you, though." Ema winked, and headed out through the door.

Ami hadn't understood a word, and yet she was still red as a tomato as she watched the woman leave and the door shut in her wake.

[August 18, 10:00 AM - District Courthouse, Waiting Room #2]

"You seriously didn't bring her here in that..."

Apollo felt the sweat running down his face in rivets as he stared at Phoenix in raw disbelief.

Phoenix looked around, rubbed at his neck with a sheepish grin, and tried to flash Ami an apologetic smile.

The girl in the tiara, the over-sized suit jacket, and seemingly little-to-nothing else was merely standing there blushing.

"...I thought she'd look professional?"

"She slept in it!"

"It makes it look worn?"

"I can't believe I work for you..."

The sound of a gavel hitting a stone made the two lawyers turn their heads in unison, though Ami looked far more confused.

"Well, do your best. I'll be cheering you on!" Phoenix slapped Apollo on the shoulder encouragingly, gave Ami a faux salute, and hurried away through the doors before anyone could object.

Apollo sighed in defeat, looked to Ami, and reluctantly offered her his hand. "Guess we better get this over with..."

Ami took a deep breath, extended her hand, and found it harshly slapped down by a white glove which appeared from a yellow sleeve.

"Polly, you have certifiably lost. your. MIND if you think you're going with her alone."

The two looked over to the lawyer in the canary-colored outfit, and were met with a grin from Athena Cykes.

"Well, what can I say? I love a challenge."

[To be continued... in the Trial: Day 1.]


	13. Chapter 12

[August 18, 10:05 AM - District Courtroom #2]

"Court is now in session. All rise!"

They all did, though one girl did so with her hands very much against her hips.

The judge looming over the massive interior from a towering vantage point cleared his throat, then spoke so all attended could hear.

"Court is now in session for the trial of... ahem, Ami Mizuno, accused of several counts of public indecency and exhibitionis- my word, is the defendant naked?"

The dignified voice fell silent, and the assorted chatter of countless spectators took his place.

Then his gavel hitting a wooden surface silenced them all, and he continued, ignorant of the defendant's bright red face. "Order! The defense will explain the defendant's... ah, lack of dress at once!"

Apollo wasn't sure how to respond at first, so instead he gave his best sheepish grin.  
"It's, ah, part of our defense... your honor... but I'd like to, well... state for the record that the defendant isn't quite naked..."

With a gesture, he indicated Ami's comically over-sized jacket.

"Yes, Herr Forehead, I believe we can all see that... and a great deal more."

Prosecutor Gavin's smirk was twice as bright as he motioned to the extent of what the jacket covered, or lack thereof. Specifically where it stopped just shy of the flustered girl's mid-thigh. "The tiara is a nice touch, da?"

Ami stared down helplessly, and felt her fingers clench onto the hem of the garment all the tighter.  
"OBJECTION!"

"..."

The silence was nerve-wracking to say the least, until at last the judge intervened, in quite the perplexed tone.  
"Mr. Justice, what in the devil are you objecting to?"  
"The... ah, prosecution is badgering the witness!"

"..."

"I don't think flattery counts as badgering, Mr. Justice. Overruled."  
"What are you doing!?"  
Athena's eyes were driving a wall-eyed stare at Apollo, and he shrugged innocently.  
"Ahem... well, be that as it may..." Apollo cleared his throat, and tried his best to appear meaningful as he slapped his hand against a stack of papers which contained legal documents, reference material, and many blank pages scattered in-between. "The defendant's attire is integral to the defense's case, and her testimony!"

The chatter resumed for several moments, until the gavel silenced it.  
"Order! Frankly, Mr. Justice, I don't know what the defense is playing at here, but if it is the defendant's wishes... very well."

Ami would surely have objected had she known what anyone was saying. As it happened, she had no clue.  
"You may provide your opening statements, gentlemen."  
"Thank you, Herr Baldness. The prosecution intends to make it clear that the defendant there, even though she is most assuredly quite innocent in appearance and, dare I say, attractive, is little more than a common thrill-seeking deviant."

Athena looked at the bashful barefoot girl, then Apollo with a whisper. "What if that's true!?"  
"You're not helping..."

"Thank you, Prosecutor. Mr. Justice?"

"Er, the defense is ready, your honor!"  
"...yes, Mr. Justice, I should hope so. Your opening statement."  
"Oh! Ah, yes. The defense means to prove that the defendant is merely an innocent victim of circumstance, bad timing, and an exceedingly cruel scheme to undermine her reputation."  
"...no one knows who she is, Polly..."  
"Shh!"  
"Very well. The Prosecution may call its first witness."

"And I intend to, Herr Baldness. The Prosecution summons the defendant, Ami Mizuno to the stand."

The chatter resumed at great length as the blue-haired girl shakily walked across the floor to her stand, each step a chilly reminder of her lack of footwear and much in the way of anything else.  
After several agonizing seconds of being under the scrutiny of every eye in the room, Ami finally reached the stand and moved behind the low wall, taking a seat until she was confident it obscured everything from the shoulders up.

"The defendant may state her name for the record."

"..."

"Ah... Prosecutor Gavin... Is this girl understanding a word I say?"  
"No, we don't believe she speaks a word of English."

More chatter.  
"Order! Order, I say! Prosecutor, how do you mean to have a girl incapable of understanding us testify!?"

"That's well in hand, my good man. The Prosecution intends to ensure the defendant will talk a great deal, and at length, if she wants to leave the stand... and she most certainly will."

Ami seemed as clueless as ever, until Klavier Gavin raised his hand and dramatically snapped his fingers.  
The blue-haired girl's eyes went wide and she recoiled behind the stand as she felt the suit jacket come apart and plummet uselessly to her bare feet. Though the gathered assembly saw little but the tiara-clad girl's shoulders and the slightest hint of cleavage, the Judge and Ami had little room to doubt her new-found nakedness.

Klavier chuckled only briefly, then flashed a suave grin at Ami from across the prosecution bench. "I believe she'll be far more comfortable with testifying now, Your Honor."

[To be continued...]


	14. Chapter 13

[August 18, 10:12 AM - District Courtroom #2]

Oh no. Ami stared down in disbelief at her evident nakedness, her hands balled up into useless fists that were settled in the cusp of her lap, trying to keep from shivering. The jacket had been simply drawn off and pulled to the floor before she could even react! Although Ami was clueless as to precisely how she had been undressed without her knowledge, she could only assume some sort of well-hidden device was involved.

Whatever the case, she had to do something! In a red-faced panic, Ami tried to reach over, only to hear a stern voice clearly addressing her. Ami stared up at the podium looming over her, and with a meek cry, recalled in that moment that a strange old man was staring right at her. She was quick to cover the rest of her, though it had been a little late for the modest gesture.

To his credit, the judge had seemed unfazed by the sight of the topless(and everything-less) girl. He had seen any number of strange cases, and maybe something as normal as a naked girl came as an odd sort of relief.

Either way, he had rules to enforce, and so the defendant was on the receiving end of a stern shake of his head. "You mustn't leave the stand, miss."

Ami froze up, looking out to the many faces of the crowd staring at her in a mixture of disbelief and amusement, with no small amount of perplexed chatter reaching her ears. She hardly understood any of it, but none of it could be good.

She guessed she could only hope to get this over with, and take some solace in the fact that only the passive senior above could see her completely. With her nerves gradually calming, Ami straightened and sat back in the chair with a shaky nod.

"Very well, the prosecution may cross-examine the witness. At a distance, Mr. Gavin! We'll not have you making the defendant more uncomfortable."

Klavier seemed briefly put-off by the declaration, but eventually took on a mien of acceptance and flashed a confident smile. "Of course, Herr Baldness. I had no other intentions." Not anymore, anyway.

So Klavier remained at his side of the room, and gave two snaps of his fingers into the air, for what seemed like no reason at all.

Then to the surprise of the entire room, especially the defendant and a lawyer who soon found his mouth hanging agape, the prosecutor began to speak in perfect, if heavily accented, Japanese.

"Miss Mizuno. Did you intentionally remove your clothing prior to being discovered on the evening of the 16th?"

Amidst the chatter, Ami was so stunned at being addressed in her native language that she didn't know how to respond. Eventually, she managed.

"I, I... no, I never took off... my clothes... They were... taken..."

"Oh, and yet you made no mention of this to the police?"

"They... didn't understand me..."

"How convenient, miss. Well... where did this thief go, then?" Klavier leaned over the counter, flashing a hundred thousand yen grin. "Could you describe the culprit?"

Ami felt her skin go pale. What was she going to say? A towering creature covered in fur, using magic beyond human reckoning? They'd put her in an asylum!

"I, I... didn't get a good look at him..."

"Very convenient!" Klavier cleared his throat, shifted back to the tongue of the court, and relayed the contents of the conversation.

Apollo was already sweating bullets. How could he object if he didn't understand a word being said!?

"Uh, Your Honor... is this allowed? We can only take the Prosecutor at his word! For all we know he's telling us whatever he wants the court to hear!"

"Objection!" Klavier shot his arm out dramatically, and with a tsk-tsk, shook his head before smiling to a courtroom reporter seated not far away from the witness stand.

"Ms. Shihara here happens to be bilingual, and will gladly vouch for all that I say."

The mousey woman at the tiny typewriter nodded, and Apollo's hopes were dashed.

"A valiant effort, Herr Forehead. Now, then... the prosecution would like to propose that the defendant, in a desperate attempt to keep her deviancy under wraps, made up this ridiculous story of an unseen assailant... when in fact she had removed her clothes of her own volition, and went out into the night to see what she could get away with.

In short, this innocent girl testifying before the court is nothing more than an exhibitionist of the highest order."

Much chatter resulted, causing the striking of a gavel against the judge's stand.  
"Order!"

"Objection!"

"...Mr. Justice?"

"Erm... the prosecution calls for speculation! There is no evidence that the defendant abandoned her clothes!"

Back on the offensive. Apollo folded his hands behind him, and nodded to the papers on the counter. "After an thorough investigation..." This brought a few chuckles from the crowd. "...er, the police... found no signs of abandoned clothing, your honor! The defense wishes to assert the defendant's claim that her clothing was stolen from her!"

"Objection!"

All eyes were back on the prosecution. Klavier shook his head and gestured with his hand, as if to the tune of some imaginary track in his own mind and no one else's.

"Au contrair, Herr Forehead. The prosecution will prove beyond shadow of a doubt that the defendant DID abandon her own clothing, and entirely of her free will."

The courtroom went silent, and Klavier leaned forward, his grin once more knocking Apollo off of his stable footing. "The prosecution calls Detective Ema Skye to the stand."

The chatter was expected. Ami didn't appear worried by that, she just waited for this all to end. Sadly, her only source of shelter was about to be suddenly demolished.

"The witness may leave the stand."

Klavier grinned at Ami, and as the statement had been phrased in Japanese,there was no chance of misunderstanding. "...with haste, my dear."

[To be continued!]


End file.
